FYE 101 - What Good is College?

In this first-year experience course, students will learn to use the tools of history, education, and sociology to make sense of an institution they have recently entered: college. Within U.S. culture, education—and higher education, specifically—has long been idealized as a meritocracy, offering opportunities for upward social mobility for any student with the drive, intelligence, and desire to succeed. In this sense, college can be thought of as a private good, benefiting individuals who invest in their education. Yet, most types of higher education institutions frame their missions as fulfilling a public good, ranging from the community-serving research mandates of public land grant universities, to the liberal arts mission of educating democratic citizens, to the work of educating underserved communities performed by institutions like historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), women’s colleges, and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs).

This FYE will explore the question “What good is college?” in three iterations:

In what ways is college a private good and a public good?
For whom is college good?
How is college good?

Credits 1

Compass Attributes
First Year Experience